Bathing-suit.



0. B. SHULHOF. BATHING SUIT.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE I5, 1917.

Patented MG. 4, 11917-- 2 SHIEETSSHEIET I- WITNESSES u! 0.- B. SH ULHOF. BATHING SUIT.

APPLICATIQN FILED IUNE I5. 1911.

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OTTO B. SIIULHOF, 0F LAWRENCE, NEW YORK.

, BAT I-IING-SUIT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. at, T917.

Application filed .Tune 16, 1917. Serial No. 175,054.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OTTO B. SIIULHOF, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Lawrence, Long Island, county of Nassau, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bathing- Suits, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to bathing suits for ladies and has for its objectto construct the suit in such a manner that the skirt thereof will be maintained against rising or upward floating when the wearer is in the water, and more particularly when swimming. A further object of my invention is to construct the skirt so that it will hang gracefully and so that water will flow freely therefrom. Other objects of my invention will appear from the description hereinafter and the features of novelty will be pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate an example of my invention, Figure 1 is a front view of the bathing suit showing approximately its appearance when being worn. Fig. 2 1s a side view thereof;

Fig. 3 is a front view showing the skirt spread out; and Fig. i is a section on the line l4 of Fig. 3.

As shown in the illustrated example, the garment may comprise an upper or waist portion 5 constructed in any desired style with the customary neck opening 6 and arm openings or short sleeves 7. From the waist portion 5 depends a skirt 8 which is of a flaring shape when spread out, as shown in Fig. 3. At its lower edge the skirt is formed with projections or extensions 9 located at intermediate and opposite points; in the finished garment these extensions 9 overlap and are permanently secured together, for instance, by sewing 10. The front and back portions of the lower edge of the skirt are thus connected while leg openings 11 are provided at opposite sides of said connected portion. In the example shown, the front and back portions of the lower edge of said skirt are also sewed together or otherwise connected at points outside of the leg openings 11 as shown at 12. The connected portions 12, in the illustrated example, extend outwardly from the leg openings 11 for a distance after which the back and front portions of the lower edge of said skirt are again disconnected to form outer openings 13. 'With this arrangement the lower edge of the skirt is alternately closed and open at intervals, as is clearly shown in the drawings. If desired, the garment may include a belt 1 1 and any other features which are customarily found in bathing suits.

The garment is worn in the usual way, the legs of the wearer projecting through the openings 11 while the connected portion 9 is located between the legs of said wearer. The outer portions of the skirt beyond the openings 11 hang or drape themselves gracefully, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the draped efiect being enhanced because of the outer openings 13 which permit the garment to adjust itself harmoniously at these points and which also preserve the appearance of a skirt open at the bottom, as shown in Fig. 2. The central portion 9 and leg openings 11 prevent the skirt from rising up on the wearer, even when the latter is swimming in the water, thus avoiding the hampering and obstructing effect of a skirt which is raised or floats upward through the action of the water. The outer openings 13, in addition to any other functions which they may perform, also permit any water which may gather in the skirt to readily escape as soon as the wearer assumes an upright posi tion.

My improved bathing suit is extremely simple in construction and eflicient in operation and at the same time presents a handsome and stylish appearance.

It will, of course, be obvious that my invention may be applied to a skirt which forms a separate part of a garment, as, for instance, a garment in which the waist portion is formed as an integral part of a pair of bloomers. The illustrated form of my improved garment may be worn with or without bloomers. It will be understood that means other than as shown may be utilized for connecting the front and back portions of the skirt edge together if this should be desired. Furthermore, in some cases, the skirt may terminate at the outer portions of the leg openings, in which case all those parts of the skirt outwardly beyond said openings in the illustrated example would be omitted.

Various changes in the specific form shown and described may be made within the scope of the claims without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim 1. A' bathing garment comprising a waist portion and a skirt depending therefrom and having its lower edge alternately closed and open at intervals to form leg openings and outer openings.

2. A bathing garment comprising a Waist portion, a skirt depending therefrom and an intermediate connection whereby the back and front lower edges of said skirt are se cured together to form leg openings, said lower edge being connected from the leg openings outwardly to points at a distance from the outer sides of said skirt and being disconnected beyond said points to form 7 openings opposite sides of said skirt.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set 20 my hand.

OTTO B. SHULHOF.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

